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N0. 625,l76. Patented May l6, I899.

W. H. LEWIS & H. L. LITFELL.

VEHICLE SPRING.

(Application filed July 8, 1898.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM H. LEWIS AND HUBERT LEE LITTELL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,176, dated May 16, 1899. Application filed July 8, 1898. Serial No. 685,384. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. LEWIS and I-IUBERT LEE LITTELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements invVehicle-Springs; and we do declare the following. to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to the class of springs that are employed in supporting the body of a vehicle upon the axle or running-gear and in similar applications, such as supporting a seat; and it consists in a spring of new and novel construction and arrangement of elements whereby a spring is produced from inexpensive material and by simple means and embodying the advantages of an elliptical form,but capable of use in more limited space,

as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Our object is to provide a springwhich may be constructed at thelowest possible cost and which shall be adapted to displace the more complicated built-up elliptical spring, which is expensive both to construct and maintain and which sufiers from corrosion between the plates, necessitating frequent repainting.

Another object is to provide such a spring as when finished shall consist of but asingle piece whose various members are formed continuously and practically integrally one with another, thus dispensing wit-h separate con necting devices.

A still further object is to provide a spring of this character which shall provide the maximum flexibility in the minimum operating space. v

These objects are attained in our invention, which is adapted to many situations, and is economical and durable in use, while the form is so simple that the spring maybe reset and tempered in the ordinary shops.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of our spring, illustrating its operative position in relation to a carriageaxle and body spring bar; Fig. 2, an elevation of the spring detached; Fig. 3, a top plan view of the spring, and Fig. 4 an elevation of the two parts of which the complete spring is composed.

In construction we form a spring A to conform to the general shape of elliptical springs, so as to beapplicable to vehicles. as usually constructed,in which is an arched member A having a reinforced central portion D adapted to support the load, and an inverted arched member A having a reinforced central portion E providing a bearing whereby the spring and load are supported. Fig. 1 illustrates the manner in which the spring may be connected operatively in this case to an axle B of a carriage by clips 01 and at the top to the spring-bar O by clips b. In small sizes a hoop may first be formed and then twisted to the form as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the enlarged or reinforced erably lie in two parallel vertical lines, al-

though they may be in the same line one above the other in some cases, the upper and lower members, as at G H I J crossing either to the right or to the left, but preferably in asomewhat short transverse curve, as shown in Fig. 3, to meet centrally in the. curve or semicircle F.

In attaining the full advantages of our invention we may employ bar-steel having a round or circular cr0ss-sectionsemicircular cross-section; or we may use the tubular form, either circular in cross-section or semi circular, as well as a tube flattened and rolled in upon itself at one side, so as to be of double thickness throughout and semicircular'in cross-section, and the latter, when reinforced a suitable distance at D E, by means of a solid bar inserted and welded in, provides a spring embodying the advantages of one having multiple leaves or plates, but presents no openings to receive moisture and eject corrosive stains.

In some cases in advantageously manufacturing our spring we employ two pieces and bend each so as to form two halves, each comprising a portion of both the arch and inverted arch integrally joined and twisted so as to form the curved ends F F. Then the ends hi are lapwelded, and the ends m n are likewise lapwelded, the overlapping being carried to any desired length so as to provide suitable reinforcementatthebearing-points. Instead of lapwelding the ends may abut within a section of tube, the whole being welded together, and, if desired, forged into any desired rectangular form in cross-section. After completing the spring it may be tempered by any suitable process.

While we prefer to construct our spring in the manner shown and described, we reserve the right to join the ends of the several operative members at other points, the essential characteristics being that the completed spring shall be continuous in its parts orhaving its members formed integrally and the spring-points of the arches relatively situated and connected, as shown and pointed out.

One of the obviouslyimportant advantages of our invention consists in the adaptation of bar-steel or tubular forms having an even diameter or thickness, requiring no special forging or dressing nor machine-work separate from the act of welding at the indispensable joints, the bending being but a simple and inexpensive operation.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Avehicle-spring consisting of two halfelliptical metallic springs each of which is composed of two segments of an are connected in an overlapping welded joint to reinforce the bearing-point or center of the half-elliptic and the ends of which half -elliptical springs are joined in pairs integrally, whereby a spring is formed having a continuity of metal without moving joints or detachable parts, substantially as set forth.

2. A vehicle-spring composed of two parts each of which is suitably bent at'the center to form the ends of a double elliptic spring and the ends of which two parts are joined rigidly in pairs by welding to form the bearing parts whereby a double elliptic spring is formed having a continuity of metal throughout without movable joint or detachable part, substantially as shown and described.

3. A vehicle-spring composed of-two parts whose ends are overlapped and rigidly joined by welding to form the bearing parts or seats of a double elliptic spring and whose central parts are twisted and bent to form the ends of adouble elliptic spring, the whole havinga continuity of metal throughout, substantially as set forth.

4. An elliptical spring composed of two oppositely-disposed arched members each of which is formed of two parts overlapped at the ends and rigidly joined by welding to form the center of the arch and bearing-seat and whose end portions are formed integrally one with the other at the center of each of said two parts in the form of aloop, substantially as shown and described.

5. An elliptical spring having counterpart arched members each of which is formed of two parts and oppositely disposed and rigidly joined at the center of each arch by welding to form the bearing parts whose diameter is greater than the otherportions, the centers of which two parts are bent to form integrallyconnected ends of the said counterpart arched members, substantially as set forth.

6. The herein-described spring consisting of the oppositely-disposed arched members A and A formed of two parts having uniform diameters and rigidly joined and reinforced by welding at the crowns D and E respectively and having the spring ends formed integrally by bending said two parts at their centers,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM I'I. LEWIS. H. LEE LITTELL.

Witnesses:

WM. I'I. PAYNE, E. T. SILvIUs. 

